ihmsa forums

When I was shooting a lot, I would buy new brass every couple of years. Now I'm shooting less, but using brass that has probably 15 firings and is 10 years old. Should I shop for new, or try to anneal what I have?

Same question applies for some guns that I haven't shot in years, anneal or replace?

Rich,
Sounds like the first batch of brass I used in my 260 Striker. Lasted for many years. Finally got one cracked neck so bought new brass and still using it. I suspect how much brass gets resized when loading has a lot to do with how long it will last. Also my wimp loads don't work brass too hard. I have gotten brass from other shooters who just wanted to get newer brass and have shot a lot of that many times too. I'm not up on annealing brass so would probably get new brass if a lot starts having problems.

I have some 22 Hornet brass that I've fired and loaded over 20 times.....still using it. Then I've had 7TCU brass split at the shoulder with the first firing. I'm of the opinion that much of the commonly available brass these days is not properly annealed when they are sold. I now anneal all my 223 based cases if they are once fired when I get them. On that topic, I have not purchased any new 223 brass in maybe 20 years. There's plenty of once fired 223 out there and it works just fine for me. Purchasing real quality brass like Lapua would likely solve all the common brass problems most people encounter though I must admit that I've never had the budget for that high dollar stuff.

I would highly recommend annealing your brass. I purchased a real simple and very effective annealer at https://www.cartridgeanneal.com. I now anneal every time I reload or every other time depended on the intended use. Annealing makes the neck tension much more consistent too.

Hi Rich,

I've been using the same brass in my .30DC since 1985. The original 150 pieces have been reloaded over 60 times each and none have split. I did buy newer brass in the early 1990's so I could have additional rounds of ammo. That stuff has over 40 reloadings each. I do not, and have never, annealed a single piece of brass I own. My 7 TCU brass has gone over 30 reloadings each, and none have been lost. All of that brass was fired cases, who knows how many times before I acquired them.

That said, the vast majority of brass I have has been only neck-sized after the initial fireforming process. I realize FL sizing will work the brass more and reduce it's lifespan. Never felt I needed to anneal any brass, even though they have some neat machines for doing that. Just one of those things I didn't have time for.

I would just keep shooting your brass until it splits, then replace it.

JMHO, if you wait until a neck splits, you have waited too long! Saw a shooter lose 2 targets this past weekend to split necks.
MC

Yes, I know. But how do you know which firing that brass will split on? I'm still waiting on the ones that have over 60 reloadings on them in the last 32 years.